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Life’s surprises.

It’s something of a cliché but life really is full of surprises, not to mention some truly strange coincidences.

I’m back in the UK now. Part of the reason I’m home is to help mum sort out the house she’s just moved from. In one of the many cardboard boxes that came out of the attic I found my father’s writing archive. Dad was an English teacher so he liked words. Turns out he enjoyed various forms of writing too. The box contained several short stories, many poems and other writing, some of which he’d submitted to magazines and had published. My dad was a published author and I didn’t know the half of it. I also found a bound handwritten manuscript of a novel he wrote but didn’t seem to take any further than that. (So that’s where I got it from.)

The strange coincidence: On the morning of the day I got my hands on dad’s writing archive I received an offer from a publisher for a three book deal. Bloodhound Books want to take on my two existing Booker and Cash novels and the third in that series, which is written but not published yet. Naturally, I am absolutely thrilled to have a publisher interested enough in my writing to approach me regarding collaboration. But it’s the coincidence of the two events on the same day that overtook me.

E-books and ereaders have contributed to a period of rapid change in the book publishing industry. Bloodhound Books are at the forefront of what I see as a shift in the traditional landscape. Digital publishing is big business and it’s growing. There are more self-published authors writing more books than ever before. On our own we are only so many voices in the wind. As a CWAP, if you don’t have the time or energy or know-how for the self-promotion side of self-publishing you will likely severely limit the chances of growing an audience for your work. Bloodhound Books can address that for the self-published author by working collaboratively with them to, hopefully, everyone’s benefit.

For several months Bloodhound Books have been steadily recruiting self-published authors who have proved through their writing that they are worthy of greater attention. The growing list of Bloodhound’s stable of writers is really quite impressive. (See here http://www.bloodhoundbooks.com/authors/) It’s a list that I am very proud and honoured to be asked to join.

While Bloodhound Books are primarily concerned with the digital e-book market they do also produce physical copies of books. There are currently no physical copies of any of my books. I could have made them available through Amazon’s print on demand service at any time, however, I made a conscious decision at the beginning of my CWAP adventure that if my books ever came into existence as physical objects I would not be the one to commission them. I had my reasons.

I am a book lover. I can’t think of many things that will give me greater pleasure than to hold a physical copy of a book I’ve written, something I didn’t organise the printing of. It’s one of the core dreams that I’ve had from the beginning. I’ll wager it’s one of the things just about every budding author wants when they first put pen to paper or finger to qwerty keyboard.

I’m looking forward to working with Bloodhound in the coming months and seeing what they can do for Booker and Cash. I couldn’t be happier that Booker and Cash is the series to get picked up. They are the pairing that mean the most to me and the stories are set on Romney Marsh, the place where I was born and bred and have returned to live after several years abroad. Booker and Cash are also the series that I’m determined to write more books in. Whether they will prove to be books that Bloodhound will want to take on I shall have to see, but for now I’m very happy with this week’s developments.

PS: Is dad’s novel any good? I wish I could say, but I can’t read his bloody writing.

As a teacher of many years, who, when I was at Grammar school in the 40’s, my Headmaster said to me, Mullis, in all my 40 years of teaching, yours is the worst handwriting I have ever seen!!! I suggest you send your fathers book to an experienced school teacher, he or she will be able to decipher it!!
Love your books, Ken

As a fan from the start I am very pleased for you… However
1)- Please do not give up on R&M – there is a long way to go there. 2) Paper copies would be great and would be welcomed, I think, by many 3) Why has it taken so long?
Well done.
I look forward to paying a bit more for your work – its worth it.

Great news about the publisher I too am a book lover and resisted e-books until the reality of space made me practical. I have learned to enjoy books on my tablet as much as books in paper (except for my criminology books. I haven’t learned to like e-books for work). When I look at the space in my house for books and think of where I would put paper copies of the 1200 e-books I have on the tablet, I decide to love e-books, especially yours. Congratulations.

Hi Brenda,
Many thanks for your comment and good wishes. Much appreciated.
I quite like reading on the Kindle these days but there is nothing like holding a ‘real’ book.
I have no hope of ever displaying the thousands of books I have in boxes. But I can’t stop buying them. 🙂
Best wishes.

Oliver I hope this is just the beginning of a fantastic year for you. As you know I am a big fan of Acer so am waiting for the next in that series. Having said that, B & C No 3 will be grabbed, in whatever form, as soon as it comes out. (Are you back in England for good now?)

Hi Emmy,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I had an idea for another Acer the other day and it made me itchy to start on it but I’ve got so much building work to contend with at the moment. 😦
Looks like I’m going to be in the UK more than Turkey for the foreseeable future. I don’t mind that but I do miss my son.
All the best.

I have such a lot of work to do in the UK – all property related – and I must prioritise. The writing could take a back seat for a while. Sigh. That’s life.
Yes, we’re talking about relocating more and more. Watch this space…
Best wishes.

Hope this goes well for you. What will I need to do to continue downloading your books? Don’t want to loose access in cyber space far far away in another galaxy. Will I need to download something new? I also love the feel sight & smell of physical books (I have hundreds) but I can no longer see the print. I’ve come to appreciate ebooks for that reason. Celeste

Hi Celeste
Thank you for your comment.
My books will still be available as ebooks so no worries there. The physical copies are just a bonus. 🙂 Whenever something new becomes available I’ll be sure to post details here on the blog.
I get on well with ebooks but they will never be able to replace a physical book for me. A ‘real’ book is a multisensory pleasure that an electronic gadget can’t compete with.
Best wishes.

I agree hardcover books are BEST (the smell, sight & feel) BUT, my eyesight has become so bad that enlarging the ebooks is the only thing that allows me to continue devouring books. I’ve tried new glasses & magnifying sheets, but the eBook enlargement is SOOOO MUCH BETTER. Since reading is a HUGE part of who I’ve always been, I needed to adapt. I am still able to hold & smell the hundreds of hardcovers in my MANY bookcases. Celeste

Celeste,
I am a collector of hardback first editions. I have literally thousands. They are all in boxes awaiting the day I am settled somewhere and can unbox them and display them. It’s a day I look forward to. I don’t think I’d ever read them though – that’s waht paperbacks and Kindles are for 🙂
I really feel for you that reading has become so difficult. That must be terrible but the ereader sounds like a great solution. Technology isn’t all bad.
Best wishes.

I still follow your blog and despite withdrawing from cyberspace I wanted to say how honestly and completely and utterly thrilled I am for you at your news re Bloodhound. It really did give me a warm fuzzy glow and a good-on-yer on behalf of CWAPs everywhere.

That said, having followed your staggeringly prolific output, your discipline (I have a toddler as well and have no idea how you manage it), your business sense and your savvy series-strategising I really felt this was a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ and it can surely only lead into bigger and better things.

Tin!!
Great to hear from you. I’ve missed you in cyberspace.
Thanks so much for your message. I really appreciate it.
What I hope from the BH business is to get a wider readership interested in my stuff. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to get books noticed – I don’t know how many new ones are released every day but you can imagine. BH seem very marketing orientated. We shall see. Sometimes you’ve got to try something new and, of course, I’m thrilled to be considered by them.
Are you writing? I do hope so. I was very sad to learn that you’d taken a break. The world needs more CWAPs 🙂 Tell me you’re working on something and I’ll be happy.
Best wishes.